Father and Daughter
by SLPikachu
Summary: Just a short one-shot as if John had a daughter.


Father and Daughter

Sam headed towards the door of their father's hospital room, to go meet up with Bobby. He stopped to turn to his little sister, Skyler, who stood there, terrified. Among the family, she came out with the least injuries. There was a bandage on her forehead where the little girl was cut from flying glass and her arms were wrapped in gauze from it, as well.

"You coming with me, Sky?"

She shook her head up at her brother. "I want to stay with Daddy."

He nodded at the floor, knowing the youngest Winchester had wanted to find their father, the most, out of the three of them. Skyler didn't, fully, grow up with them. At first, John only had visitation with his daughter, whenever he and his boys were able to come through. He would swing by and grab Skyler, for a week and the four of them would visit until John caught wind of another job somewhere. Once, the visit had went on for a week and a half, and over the summer, no less. That was Skyler's favorite.

See, Skyler used to live with her mother and her other two brothers. That is until CPS got involved. Her mother was still alive, but had issues of her own and authorities found her, unfit to raise children, especially when Skyler's brothers needed special care of their own. The apartment was always a mess and things were always broken. It came to the point, John and Dean expected to fix something, every time they stopped through, to see their little Sky. Sam had been away at school when CPS got involved and took his sister and her other brothers away.

Scared to death, Skyler had called John, the moment the CPS woman stepped out, to speak to the doctor. Using the emergency method her father had taught her, Skyler called him, letting it ring, once and hung up before calling again.

John picked up, immediately, when she called back. "Baby girl, what's wrong?"

Skyler had been breathing hard as tears started to pour down her face. "Daddy. Daddy. I…" The little girl sounded terrified, speaking, softly. That was the thing. With her family, she could talk one's ear off. With strangers or someone she wasn't comfortable with, Skyler remained mute and it was like pulling teeth, trying to get her to speak.

"Take it, easy, baby girl. Deep breaths," John told her, trying to remain calm, himself. He ended up doing it, too, to help ease her. Skyler mimicked her father before he asked her, what was wrong, again.

"I don't know where I am or who they are." Skyler swallowed, looking over at where she could hear the lady and doctor.

John slammed on his brakes all of a sudden when he heard his daughter. Thankfully, Dean had been in front, in the Impala, while John drove in his truck. Dean had caught it in his rearview mirror and stopped, himself. "What do you mean?"

Skyler sniffed, wiping her nose on her arm. She gasped, a few times. "These cops came, this morning and took pictures of me, and Cory, and Tim, and was asking Mommy, a bunch of questions. Then, this woman came and took us away and Mommy was pissed." John knew she had picked that word up from Dean. She was usually picking up the wrong words from her oldest brother. Though, Skyler's mother wasn't the only one, pissed. John was the most heated.

"Calm down, baby girl. I'll be there as soon as I can," he tried to stifle his temper for his little girl. Skyler was very timid and John knew she frightened, easily. She nor her mother knew what he, actually did for a living. They thought he was a traveling salesman and that was why he and his boys moved around, a lot.

"I know this is a hospital," she managed to say, wiping at the tears falling. "I think I heard the woman call it, the same name like your name." Skyler hiccuped.

At that moment, the woman returned. "Whose phone is that?" she asked Skyler. Of course, the little girl clammed up when she reentered.

"Sky? Sky? Are you there?" John asked. He could hear when she sniffed. He heard someone tell her, to give them, the phone, which Skyler refused. "Sky, let me talk to them."

Skyler nodded, even though he wouldn't be able to see it, and passed the lady, her phone. Yes, John gave his single-digit daughter, a cell phone. It was a simple phone that she could use. Her mother would get into moods and not let Skyler call John when she wanted to, so John got her one. Skyler had to keep it near her so John could get a hold of her, if need be. Sometimes, he couldn't always answer, unless it was the emergency call. Then, he picked up, no matter what. Skyler never had to use the emergency call until now.

The lady took the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she said, into it.

"Who's this?" John asked of her.

"This is Barbara Williams, from Child Protective Services. Who is this?"

"My name is John Winchester, and I am Skyler's father. I'm coming to get her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "Where are you?"

"Mr. Winchester, we were hoping we could get contact from relatives. It makes things, so much easier."

John seen Dean walking towards his window and rolled it, down.

"Dad. What's going on?" he asked.

Barbara continued, so John couldn't answer his son. "According to the mother, you don't have shared custody, you just have overnight visitations."

"That's correct," John nodded.

"And, you're only the father of Skyler, not the boys."

"Yes. I'd take them if I could. Are they okay?"

"Yes. A teacher of theirs took them in. Unfortunately, she couldn't take Skyler, as she only had room for the boys."

"What happened? Why are the kids being taken from Jenny?" John asked, alerting Dean's attention, who had been staring at the ground, listening.

"Apartment's a mess. Mold everywhere. Sink's clogged," she listed off a few.

"Again?" He was outraged the sink had been clogged, again. John always felt unsure, dropping his daughter off, before taking off for another job. It seemed like he was parenting Skyler, whereas, Jenny acted more of a sister than a mother. The reason he suspected his daughter's timidness was Jenny talking down to the kid, and threatening Skyler with a shoe, for the tiniest mistake. John may have been tough on her, himself, Skyler still didn't flinch as much with him, as she did with her mother. "Look, I've lost count how many times my son and I have both fixed and called a plumber, for that sink. I have left her, money for groceries and repairs when we can't be there to fix something. We've even helped clean that place up, while the kids are in school."

"Jenny did mention something along those lines. She said, you would fix the sink on your next visit?"

"That is news to me," he shrugged, "and, I talk to Skyler, on an almost, daily basis."

"Were you aware of Skyler's brother, tethered down like an animal?" John's anger erupted as if someone had stuck a giant cork into a volcanic and let it, build up until it couldn't take the pressure. "WHAT?!

Barbara had to remove the phone from her ear.

Skyler even heard it.

John drove straight there, as fast as he could. It was three in the morning by the time him and Dean pulled up to the hospital and Barbara had gone home, already. She had, at least, let the hospital staff know they were coming, and were led to the room, Skyler had been moved to.

He burst into the room, dropping onto the bed, beside where his daughter had finally managed to doze off.

"You may not want to be near her, sir," the nurse told the father and son. "We treated her for lice, a few hours ago."

"It's fine," John assured her, and thanked the nurse.

The nurse left them, alone, shutting the door.

"Dad. How did we let this slip past us?" Dean questioned, just as outraged as his father was.

"I don't know, Dean," he replied, looking over at Skyler.

"I mean, that bitch is always picking on Skyler, and never keeps that apartment, clean."

"Dean."

"I mean it, Dad. We let this get worse!"

"You think I don't know that?" John questioned. "We needed a way to keep your sister away from everything. I never thought things were this extreme. Skyler never said, anything."

"Mommy said, I couldn't." The men's heads turned when they heard the little girl had woken up.

"Baby girl. I'm so sorry," he touched her arm.

Skyler's eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, she jumped on her father, squeezing him around the neck. She was wearing a hospital gown, with a pair of pajama pants they had given her, to change into, after the treatment and taking a shower in the room's bathroom. Skyler buried her tear-soaked face into John's jacket.

Dean couldn't wait his turn and pinned a knee into the bed and sat on it, rubbing his sister's back, noticing she had the gown, backwards. He'd be teasing her, on that, for sure.

When Skyler felt her brother's touch, she let go of her father and jumped on Dean, squeezing his neck, as well. She coughed from crying so much.

"Hey, take it, easy, Sky. You're gonna make yourself, sick," Dean told his sister, gently and used his hand to wipe away the tears pouring down the right side of her face.

Dean had laid down with Skyler, getting her, back to sleep, while John got some sleep, in one of the armchairs, next to the bed.

Barbara had come by, around ten, in the morning and had John sign a few things, receiving partial custody. Much to his liking, they had to stay a few weeks, to speak to a judge regarding all three children.

During a drive, where it was just him and Skyler, John finally got the whole truth of what was going on behind closed doors.

"What happened, baby girl? Why couldn't you tell us?" The little girl sat on the passenger side of his truck, holding her knees to her chest. "You're not in trouble, baby girl. I just want to know what went on while we were gone."

The seven-year-old sniffed in. Her stuffed Rottweiler she had since the little girl was four, laid on the seat, between them. Actually, Skyler had asked for a real puppy. Apparently, Santa can't bring dogs on his sleigh.

John watched his baby girl, sit there, while keeping more focus on the road, ahead. "I need to know, baby girl," he said, trying to remain firm. It was harder to do with his daughter, than he had been with his boys.

Skyler unhooked her hands from her knee and pulled her dog in, that was almost life-sized.

"I didn't know it was bad for Cory to be tied. Mommy says he gets into everything."

"First of all, Cory needs to be watched and your mother should be doing it, instead of playing those video games, all the time," he was, mostly, thinking out loud. "Second, baby girl, how could you not see that was bad? Would you like it, if you were tied like a dog, by your ankle?"

She shook her head, sniffing in.

"I'm not trying to sound mean. I know you're still little, but, I've taught you, right from wrong."

"Mommy said, it was okay." Her eyes were glistening in the streetlights, passing over the truck. They were coming back from picking up dinner. Skyler had wanted to tag along and John didn't argue, since he wanted to talk and get to the bottom of things, anyway. "Am I gonna get a spanking, Daddy?"

"No," he shook his head. "I told you, you weren't in trouble. I believe your mother was, basically, manipulating you." John stared forward, at the road, as he drove with one hand.

"What does that mean?"

"What? Manipulate?"

Skyler nodded, which he caught out of the corner of his eye.

"She was twisting the truth and lying so you wouldn't say anything," he explained where she could understand. "I suspected something was going on." John just shook his head. "I should have said something." He looked over at his daughter, "Has she ever hit you, other than spank you?"

She shook her head. "She says I can't do anything right, though." Skyler looked away, at her dog. "Is that true or a lie?"

"That's a lie, baby girl. There's plenty you can do. You always beat me when you convince me to play your video game." John gave her, a grin, to cheer Skyler up. It worked. "You're a smart kid, Sky. Don't let anyone tell you, different."

"Thank you, Daddy."

John reached over and cupped the back of her head, rubbing it, up and down. At the next red light, he reached his head over, to kiss the top of it. "I love you, baby girl."

Skyler smiled at her father. "I love you, too, Daddy." Her phone ringing, interrupted the father/daughter moment. She pulled it out of her pocket, to see her mother's number.

"Who is it?" he asked.

Skyler remained silent. Finally, she opened the phone, answered, and immediately, hung up. "Here, Daddy," Skyler handed her father, the phone. "If she calls, say you took it away, because I got in trouble."

John noticed the light, turn green and drove forward. "Who? Your mother?"

She nodded, timidly. "I don't want to talk to her. The last time I did, she yelled at me when I told her I was with you and she said to tell you, to bring me, home."

"She knows I can't do that, for one. Two, she shouldn't be yelling at you, like that."

"But, you yell at us," Skyler pointed out.

"I meant when it's out of your control, baby girl." The phone rang in his hands. John answered it. "What, Jenny?" He couldn't keep the anger out of his tone.

"Let me speak to my daughter," the woman demanded, also angry.

" _Our_ daughter, and she doesn't want to talk. Can't say I don't blame her after everything that's happened and you yelling at her, when she told you, I can't bring her, to see you. You know that, Jenny."

"Screw you," she spat.

"We're past that, Jenny. That's why we have a daughter, in the first place," John reminded her.

"Put Sky on, now!"

"I said, she doesn't want to speak to you," he tried to remain calm, as he, possibly could. With John Winchester, that was no easy feat. Instead, John told her, "I want to discuss things when our seven-year-old isn't within earshot. Until then, stop calling and scaring her than you already have." As soon as he said that, John knew a childish tantrum would blow in and he hung the phone up, before she could. In fact, he took it a step further and turned it, off. "Put this, in there, would you, baby girl?" he asked of her, passing Skyler, the phone.

"Yes, sir." Skyler put her feet, down, taking the phone and putting it, inside the glove compartment.

John, eventually, pulled into the driveway, of the abandoned house they were staying in, until things blew over and done with, and slid out. Skyler scooted over to his side, sitting on the edge of the seat so her father could lift her, out.

John laid his arms on the seat, around where Skyler sat and touched his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry I let things get this far, baby girl. None of this is your fault. Your mother and I are at fault here, not you. Alright?"

Skyler nodded, hugging her dog. John had the dog under his arm, basically, to rest it, on the seat. The little girl didn't like people getting that close and personal, not even her mother. Just her daddy and two of her brothers. She was the youngest of four boys. Two from Jenny. Two from John. The only girl, thus, all tomboy. Skyler hated all things, girly and loved getting dirty, instead. Her favorite was digging holes, in the sand, at recess, in school. Dean was always, play-wrestling with her. Him and John were always trying to find ways to bring the kid out of her shell and make friends, at school, too. She was even the only girl on her T-ball team, back in kindergarten. Nothing. When John asked her teachers, they gave it, as selective mutism. It happens to some kids. Outside of family, kids won't talk. Usually, they can grow out of it, as the kid gets older.

Skyler had been seven, and still shy, as she was, when she was younger.

Even now, four years later, if a doctor was to walk in, Skyler wouldn't say a word. It took a while for her to open up to Bobby, who she stayed with, most of the time. After three whole months, Skyler finally spoke to him.

When Sam had left, to go meet up with Bobby, Skyler climbed into bed, crawling over her father. She still had that same dog with her. She snuggled against him.

John wrapped an arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "We were in a room, just like this when you, first came to live with us, permanently, remember, baby girl?"

Skyler looked up, into her father's face. "Yeah, when I got taken from my mom, and you and Dean came and got me."

"Man, how you've grown since then," he smiled and touched his forehead, to Skyler's.

"I'm not afraid of guns, anymore. Dean lets me use the saltguns, now." That was what Skyler called the salt-rolled shotguns.

"That's good, baby girl."

"Sam says, I'm doing better with school stuff." Since Dean and Skyler had picked their brother up, from Stanford, and to help keep his mind from losing it, over the loss of his girlfriend, he started homeschooling his sister. Skyler had been the only one, he had introduced Jessica to. A month after they had started dating, during a weekend off, they drove down to Phoenix, to visit Skyler. That was before her and her other two brothers were picked up by CPS. When Sam found out, he, too, kicked himself over it, for not picking up on anything. After Dean and Sam stopped talking to each other, Skyler was the only one, still in contact with the middle sibling. Knowing his sister, he knew she was too fragile, to cut out of his life. He had even suggested Skyler, come stay with him and Jessica, while their father and Dean "worked." Skyler remained clueless of what they really did, for another year until she decided to stow away, with them, wanting to tag along.

When John found out, he was not happy and had dragged her butt to Pastor Jim's, since he was closer than Bobby's, and they needed to get back, as soon as possible. But, not before tanning her rear end, across his lap. Skyler couldn't sit, comfortably, for a couple hours, afterwards.

"Daddy," she said.

"Hm?" he acknowledged her.

"Is Dean gonna be okay?"

"Sam and I are gonna try our best to find something. Alright?"

Skyler nodded, before shaking her head, "I don't want Dean to die."

"We all don't, baby girl." Skyler rested her head against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat had always seem to soothe her, since Skyler was one. That was before Sam and Dean had learned they had a sister. John had tried to keep it, quiet until Sam had answered his phone, when Skyler kept calling, while John was in the shower. The two of them, ended up in a fight until Sam finally got it out of their father. "Listen, I want to tell you, how proud I am of you and how much I love you. I heard this song on the radio, once, surfing through the stations. Keep this between us, okay?"

Skyler nodded up at him and John started singing, a song called, _Father and Daughter_. However, the two of them weren't alone. Dean listened, nearby, as a spirit. He had never seen the man, get that sentimental, before. A tear had even glistened on John's face.

Much later, when he found out, Dean wondered how his father had made that sacrifice to save him, when he knew Skyler needed the man, a lot more. John's death had affected the little girl a lot more than Sam, or even him.

John loved his kids too much to let one of them, die and hoped his boys held his baby girl, in one piece, again. It happened...Eventually. It helped when Dean let Skyler, help him, rebuild the Impala with him. She wasn't as good as he or their father, but, was a little better than Sam was, and Dean taught her as they went.

It wasn't until John climbed out of hell did the little girl finally got to say good-bye and have closure. Then, turned around and kicked her oldest brother in the nuts, for doing the same thing. Seriously. Dean had to let Sam, drive, for a while.

Skyler stared up at the night sky, holding her dog. "I love you, Daddy," the brothers heard her, say, as they headed down the highway.

The End

 _ **Feedback always appreciated!**_


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